Ed Batista: Executive Coaching & Change Managementtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-184522015-03-03T05:00:00-08:00Executive Coach, Instructor @StanfordBiz, contributor @HarvardBizTypePadhttp://www.edbatista.com/images/misc/Favicon-2.jpgEdBatistahttps://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleJoel Peterson's Last Lecture, 15 Years Latertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341e62fd53ef0133f524c639970b2015-03-03T05:00:00-08:002015-03-02T15:30:29-08:00Fifteen years ago, in the Spring Quarter of my second year at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, I took a course on real estate from Joel Peterson, who'd previously been CEO of Trammell Crow, one of the largest developers...edbatista<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><img alt="Joel Peterson" src="http://www.edbatista.com/images/2015/Joel-Peterson.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 5px;" title="Joel Peterson"></img>Fifteen years ago, in the Spring Quarter of my second year at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, I took a course on real estate from <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/joel-c-peterson" target="_self">Joel Peterson</a>, who'd previously been CEO of Trammell Crow, one of the largest developers in the United States and who today runs his own private equity firm and sits on numerous boards while continuing to teach at the GSB. I was interested in the topic in part because my grandfather had been a developer, but I had no plans to pursue a career in the field. I took the course primarily because I'd heard Peterson was a thoughtful and informative teacher, which turned out to be a tremendous understatement.</p>
<p>Peterson had a big impact on me, and I've written before about lessons I learned from him in that course, such as knowing the difference between <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2006/09/joel_peterson.html" target="_self">importance and urgency</a>, and understanding <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2006/10/joel_peterson.html" target="_self">why we work</a>. I've continued to follow him over the years and have written more recently about his perspective on the importance of <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2008/04/joel-peterson.html" target="_self">organizational culture</a> and the <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/08/trust-is-an-emotion.html" target="_self">emotional dimension of trust</a>.</p>
<p>A few weeks ago Peterson's post <em><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-could-start-over-heres-what-id-do-differently-joel-peterson" target="_self">If I Could Start Over, Here's What I'd Do Differently</a></em> reminded me of the notes I took during his last lecture in that real estate course, and I'm struck by how useful I still find them 15 years later. The numbered comments below are the notes I originally took in Peterson's classroom, followed by my current reflections on each topic.</p>
<p><strong>1. Have a life plan.</strong></p>
<p>I'm not a planner. I've quit jobs 4 times in my life without knowing what was going to happen next. Each time I had a sense of direction, but I felt the need to <em>move </em>before every detail was worked out. You could say that <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2006/08/are_you_a_searc.html" target="_self">I'm a searcher</a>, with a preference for flexibility and responsiveness. But at age 47 I find that I'm more fulfilled, more effective and happier than ever--not every moment of every day, but on balance. And this sense of well-being has clearly resulted from my decision in 2006 to become an executive coach and from my daily commitment to this work over the past decade. Have I become a planner? No--but I do have a plan for my life that gives me a deeper sense of meaning and purpose.</p>
<p><strong>2. Don't skip steps.</strong></p>
<p>And don't take shortcuts. Recognize when temptations to save time or effort will be counterproductive in the long run, either by undermining our ethical standards or by lowering the quality of our work below an important threshold. This isn't to say that we should allow ourselves to be <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/10/taming-my-perfectionism.html" target="_self">hobbled by perfectionism</a>, but understand the difference between A) moving fast and <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/06/coaching-and-the-cult-of-done.html" target="_self">getting things done</a> and B) moving <em>too</em> fast and making mistakes.<strong><br></strong></p>
<p><strong>3. Beware false peaks.</strong></p>
<p>What seems like the top may just be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_maxima" target="_self">local maximum</a>, so while we should enjoy our successes, we should also step back and look at the larger picture. The jobs that I mention leaving above all had much to offer, but had I stayed longer at any one of them I very possibly wouldn't be an executive coach today, and I might have missed out on this tremendously gratifying career. Another aspect of this concept is the importance of not getting too excited when things are going well, because that's a necessary skill if we are also to avoid getting too upset when things are going badly. We <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2014/08/ignoring-bandits-and-building-resilience.html" target="_self">build resilience</a> not only by managing our distress, but also by tempering our excitement.</p>
<p><strong>4. Organizational interconnecting ("Belaying").</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belaying" target="_self">Belaying</a> is a technique that allows rock climbers and mountaineers to take bigger leaps at lower risk because they're connected to others who are providing them with support. The analogy in the professional world is making connections throughout our organization. Look beyond our role, our immediate colleagues, and our function to build these relationships. More specifically, I've always looked for opportunities to connect with IT and administrative staff, and investing authentically in those relationships has been an important source of support at some critical moments.</p>
<p><strong>5. Reward negative feedback.</strong></p>
<p>People are keenly aware of <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/06/risk-management-the-importance-of-speaking-up.html" target="_self">the risks of speaking up</a> in organizational life, and the most effective leaders build a culture and establish working relationships in which critical feedback is invited rather than squelched, appreciated rather than punished. Unpleasant truths are <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/06/truth-power-and-communication.html" target="_self">precious gifts</a>, and should be treated accordingly. This doesn't make the process fun--I can still find negative feedback hard to hear, even after years of dedicating myself to the process. But I value the lessons it brings more than I resent its sting, in part because I try to be open to it without allowing it to undermine my sense of <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/06/self-validation.html" target="_self">self-validation</a>.</p>
<p><strong>6. Learn to work with people.</strong></p>
<p>Recognize that as leaders we succeed or fail not on the basis of our personal accomplishments, but on our ability to attract, retain, motivate and manage others. I've worked with many clients and students whose initial success result from their effectiveness as individual contributors and who struggled in more senior roles until they learned to <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/12/doing-less-leading-more/" target="_self">do less and lead more</a>.</p>
<p><strong>7. Finance (2 years), Marketing/Operations (5-7 years), People (10+ years).</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">This is Peterson's advice for a post-MBA career path, and it's not necessarily relevant to everyone. But his larger point is that the first stages of a career are focused on mastering technical skills, and the later stages are all about managing and motivating people. Our technical expertise may help us rise to leadership positions, but once there we need to lean on (and possibly develop) an entirely different set of skills.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>8. Align yourself with other peoples' interests; learn what they want and help them get it.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Peterson isn't suggesting that we subjugate our goals to those of others, but rather that we bear in mind the principles of David Bradford and Allan Cohen's <a href="http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/influence-model.htm" target="_self">reciprocal influence model</a>. We're all motivated by different "currencies," from material compensation to public acclaim, from autonomy and independence to a sense of teamwork. We need to recognize that others' currencies may differ from our own, and we need to understand the specific currencies of those around us--peers, superiors and subordinates.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>9. Don't be made bitter by disappointments.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Because they're inevitable. We <em>will</em> be disappointed in our professional lives, over and over again, and if we allow ourselves to become embittered by those experiences we will waste precious time and energy ruminating over them. This isn't to say that we should pretend we don't feel disappointment, sadness and loss when things go wrong; we must embrace those emotions in order to work through them. But having done so, we must let them go. Ultimately it's not our circumstances that matter, <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2010/04/life.html" target="_self">it's how we respond to them</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>10. People must be capable, high-character and empowered.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Seek out people who not only have the requisite skills, but who also possess a clear moral compass and a sense of personal agency. And two-out-of-three isn't enough; we have to get it right in all three categories. Note that as leaders we have a significant influence on #3, and once we have talented, ethical, self-motivated people in place we need to <em>get of their way</em>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>11. People need recognition, to learn, grow, and be loved--not just money.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">As a leader it's critical to bear in mind the distinction between <em>extrinsic</em> and <em>intrinsic</em> motivation, and to be keenly aware of the limits of the former. Not only are there constraints on how much compensation we can offer someone, but there are also diminishing returns to material rewards because of the inevitable process of <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2009/02/happiness.html" target="_self">hedonic adaptation</a>. By becoming skilled in providing people with recognition, learning, growth and even love, leaders can evoke and enhance their intrinsic motivation, a tremendous source of power.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>12. People are smart and will figure things out over time.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">So <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/08/trust-is-an-emotion.html" target="_self">trust them</a>, and look for opportunities to build their trust in you. This requires a <a href="http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html" target="_self">growth mindset</a> and will certainly entail a willingness to tolerate mistakes <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/10/learning-from-mistakes.html" target="_self">in order to learn from them</a> as people grow into new roles and responsibilities. In my work with MBAs at Stanford, I help to prepare our second-year Leadership Fellows to guide groups of first-years through our <em>Leadership Labs</em> course and to coach individual students one-on-one. I've learned that when I trust my students' capabilities and encourage them to push their limits, they accomplish much more than when I emphasize avoiding mistakes.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>13. In human relations, slow is fast and fast is slow.</strong></p>
<p>Relationships matter, and they take time to develop. Moving too quickly may push people beyond their comfort zone or raise fears about our motives and intentions, causing them to pull back. It's important to invite people in, so that they maintain a sense of agency and choice in the relationship. This inevitably takes more time at first, but it pays off over the long term. (I'm also reminded of Tom Peters' wisdom: "<em><a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2010/04/tom-peters.html" target="_self">Hard is soft, soft is hard</a>. The readily-manipulable numbers are the true 'soft stuff.' The relationships/leadership/'culture'...are the true 'hard stuff.'</em>")</p>
<p><strong>14. Not every important issue falls into your Inbox.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Earlier in our careers we're told what to do. The many people around and above us decide what's important and point us in that direction. But the more senior we become, the less guidance we get, and eventually it's up to us to decide what's important. If we fail to notice this transition--which doesn't always correspond with a new job or formal responsibilities--we wind up waiting for instructions that never arrive. Further, if we allow our Inbox to set our priorities, we let other people to chart our path indefinitely. Ultimately we need to develop the ability to manage our attention, to focus on some things and <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/08/the-most-productive-people-know-who-to-ignore/" target="_self">actively ignore others</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>15. We do well on Important/Urgent and on Not Important/Urgent, but we fall short on Important/Not Urgent.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Tasks are <em>urgent</em> when there's a deadline attached and someone else cares about them. But there are many tasks that will never be urgent and yet are extremely <em>important</em>: Regular exercise. A good night's sleep. Meaningful time with our loved ones. It's essential to make time for these activities, <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/12/happy-workaholics-need-boundaries-not-balance/" target="_self">to set boundaries</a> that help us keep these commitments, and not to allow others' sense of urgency to dictate our priorities. (I discussed this <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2006/09/joel_peterson.html" target="_self">at greater length</a> in 2006.)</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>16. Do whatever needs to be done.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Sometimes we need to roll up our sleeves, grab a bucket, and start bailing, so to speak. Saying <em>"That's not my job"</em> is profoundly unhelpful at these moments, and people will remember whether you helped out or watched them struggle. That said, once the crisis is past, we need to figure out what was leaking in the first place and why the waters were allowed to rise so high. And if those responsible resist making the changes necessary to prevent future crises, we can't keep rescuing them indefinitely.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>17. Be responsive to the market. <br></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Don't get stuck on a fixed definition of who you are as a professional and what services you offer. We can't change with the tides, nor should we lose sight of those deeper values that define us as individuals. But we need to be attuned to the ways in which we create value for customers, users, clients and colleagues, and we need to evolve as professionals in order to maintain those relationships. Sometimes this requires a big jump--developing a new set of skills, or obtaining a new credential--but more often it's a subtle shift over time, and we're well-served by paying attention to signs that the markets in which we operate are changing.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>18<strong>. Move to where the needs are.</strong></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">It's important not only to sense <em>external</em> opportunities, but also to understand the <em>internal</em> markets within our own organizations. The ability to sense these internal needs and respond to them, in some cases by seeking out a new position, but more often simply by offering to help, can play a significant role in our success.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>19. Don't bury the lead.<br></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">When speaking or presenting, make our most important points up front, and bear in mind that what matters to us may not matter as much to our audience. Learn to sense what others are most interested in, and tailor our approach to meet their needs. Don't stick rigidly to a script or a chronological recitation of facts, but be prepared to improvise and flex along the way.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>20. S<strong>tart with the conclusion.</strong></strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Before embarking on a new project--or a new career--clarify our goals and have a sense of where we want to end up. Goals aren't an unalloyed good thing--if we're too fixated on them they can <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/12/babies-bathwater-and-goal-setting.html" target="_self">diminish our sense of satisfaction</a> and cause us to abandon our efforts prematurely. But they're important in helping us choose a direction and initiate action.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>21. Hire for brains and heart; you can give them experience.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">When hiring we too often look to minimize the downside risk by prioritizing past experience--we want someone who's done it before, because that gives us confidence that they can do it again. But a consequence of this approach is that we also limit the upside opportunity, and we may overlook those people who are rich in potential but lack experience. When we find worthy candidates with short resumes, trust not only in their capabilities but also in our leadership.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>22.Fire expediently.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">I've worked with many leaders who've <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2014/12/on-firing-a-senior-team-member.html" target="_self">wrestled with this decision</a>, and a common theme is that they wish they'd done it sooner.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>23. Be the scribe whenever possible.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">The victors write the history books, but those who write history are also likely winners. Offering to take notes in a meeting not only guarantees that our views will be accurately represented, but also builds goodwill as a form of service to the team. The key is developing the ability to participate actively while scribing, and ensuring that we don't become side-tracked into a support role while others take the lead.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>24. Run your own PR campaign.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Peterson didn't use the phrase <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2009/07/brand-you.html" target="_self">Brand You</a>, but that's what he was talking about. We need to take responsibility for promoting ourselves, which involves both developing a personal brand and getting the word out through a variety of channels. This does <em>not</em> mean putting style over substance, or misrepresenting ourselves, or being inauthentic in order to attract attention, but, rather, finding ways to tell our stories in a credible and personal voice to people who might be interested. This is why I started blogging in 2004 and tweeting in 2007, and these two channels have been the primary means through which I've connected with the world of people who care about coaching.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>25. Preparation is essential.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">The more I work with senior leaders, the more I know this to be true--and the more I understand that "preparation" means something much different at higher levels of leadership. Earlier in our career being prepared means "knowing our stuff," being able to readily answer questions and solve problems. But that form of preparation often comes at the expense of other activities, such as sleep, exercise or reflective time. For senior leaders being prepared means "being in the right frame of mind" in order to handle stressful and complex interactions. And that form of preparation requires an ongoing commitment to activities such as sleep, exercise and reflective time--what were once luxuries are now job requirements.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>26. They can't take away the stuff that's really important.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Like most successful people Peterson has also suffered some big career setbacks, and he was candid about that in our class. He emphasized that those losses are trivial when weighed against what really matters in life: our health, the love of those around us, a sense of meaning and purpose. And he added that those who control our professional fates, whether superiors or board members or investors or customers, do not control our health, our loved ones, our reasons for being.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>27. It's your job to be your kids' cheerleader.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Peterson isn't suggesting that this is a parent's <em>only</em> job, but <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-could-start-over-heres-what-id-do-differently-joel-peterson" target="_self">as he wrote recently</a>, if he were to live his life over again he'd "be a cheerleader, not a policeman" at home. I'm not a parent, nor do I think of my MBA students at Stanford as my kids, but in my work with them over the past 8 years I've certainly come to prioritize cheerleading over policing. My experience has been that when people feel truly supported, they tend to rise to the occasion--far more often than when they feel policed. This isn't to say that I don't hold my students accountable--I do. But I've come to believe that being a good cheerleader makes it <em>easier</em>, not harder, to be both supportive <em>and</em> challenging.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>28. Give where you have no expectation of return.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Recent research notes <a href="http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/12/22/how-giving-makes-us-happy/" target="_self">the positive psychological effects</a> of volunteering and other forms of charitable giving, and there may even be <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324009304579041231971683854" target="_self">a biological basis</a> for our generous impulses. But another dynamic I've noticed in my own life is the need to "pay it forward." I've been helped by many people whose generosity I can never repay, most notably among the GSB's alumni community. So today when I'm contacted by current student and recent graduates I gladly offer whatever help I can, knowing that I'm replenishing a general pool of goodwill from which I benefited in the past.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>29. Seek out blame and accept it.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">I made a big mistake this year, and it would have been easy to avoid taking responsibility or to shift the blame onto someone else. It was embarrassing, but I stepped forward and made it clear that I and no one else was at fault. I got this email in response: <em>"Thanks for the clarification, Ed. I appreciate your sense of accountability and honesty. You are a true gentleman."</em> It's not easy to live up to this ideal, but I'm inspired to do my best to try.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>30. Go to a funeral every year.</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">It's important to be reminded of <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2013/02/on-the-shortness-of-life.html" target="_self">the shortness of life</a>, to reflect on the things that truly matter, and to ask whether we're living our lives accordingly. Attending a funeral accomplishes all three at once, and we should embrace these opportunities, not shrink from them. Painful losses <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2010/04/life.html" target="_self">have taught me much</a>, and while the learning doesn't justify the suffering, it does give it meaning.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Photo courtesy of the <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/joel-c-peterson" target="_self">Stanford Graduate School of Business</a>.</em></p></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=HM9Cl_jF27Q:D8fD9KNqS-s:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=HM9Cl_jF27Q:D8fD9KNqS-s:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=HM9Cl_jF27Q:D8fD9KNqS-s:nQ_hWtDbxek"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=nQ_hWtDbxek" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=HM9Cl_jF27Q:D8fD9KNqS-s:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=HM9Cl_jF27Q:D8fD9KNqS-s:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a>
</div>Making Feedback Less Stressful (HBR Webinar Slides)tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341e62fd53ef01bb07f8d6aa970d2015-02-26T10:12:31-08:002015-02-26T10:42:46-08:00This morning I conducted a webinar for Harvard Business Review on Making Feedback Less Stressful, and while a full recording of the presentation will be posted soon, here's a copy of my slides. Topics include emotion (and emotion management), social...edbatista<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="390" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/45100259" style="border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px;" width="468"> </iframe></p>
<p>This morning I conducted a webinar for <em>Harvard Business Review</em> on <em>Making Feedback Less Stressful</em>, and while a full recording of the presentation will be posted soon, here's a copy of my slides.</p>
<p>Topics include emotion (and emotion management), social threat, the SCARF model and the Net, as well as building a feedback-rich culture.</p>
<p>Much of what I've learned about feedback has come through my experience with Stanford's <em>Interpersonal Dynamics</em> course (more commonly known as <em>Touchy Feely</em>), which I've written about <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2013/11/what-i-learned-in-touchy-feely-this-time.html" target="_self">many</a>, <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/07/management-as-a-liberal-art-at-stanford.html" target="_self">many</a>, <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2007/02/tgroups_trust_a.html" target="_self">many</a> <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/09/t-groups-feelings-management-theory.html" target="_self">times</a>. I first took<em> Touchy Feely </em>in 1999 as an MBA student, and I've been facilitating groups in the course regularly since 2007. (I've spent over 1,200 hours in these groups over the last 8 years.)</p>
<p>The feedback I received in the course more than 15 years ago has had a significant impact on my life and career since then, and I'm grateful to have been asked to share my perspective on this topic. I'm told we had over 4,800 people registered (and over 1,000 live connections), and it was a lot of fun.</p>
<hr></hr>
<p><em>Thank You</em></p>
<p>First, thanks to Angelia Herrin for inviting me to participate, to Ally Russell for her tremendous help and support, and to all their colleagues at HBR and Citrix/GoToWebinar who made it happen.</p>
<p>Many thanks to my <em>Interpersonal Dynamics </em>co-facilitators over the years: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinscholzgrace" target="_self">Karin Scholz Grace</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=16143676" target="_self">Sue Neville</a>, <a href="http://zoedunning.com/" target="_self">Zoe Dunning</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/inbal-demri-shaham/3/156/7a9" target="_self">Inbal Demri Shaham</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/chevalisa-bruzzone-lmft/11/b7/245" target="_self">Chevalisa Bruzzone</a>, <a href="http://lisakaysolomon.com/" target="_self">Lisa Kay Solomon</a>, <a href="http://www.organisationen-beraten.net/zvacek/" target="_self">Liselotte Zvacek</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/erica-peng/a/a9b/729" target="_self">Erica Peng</a>, <a href="http://www.terrellleadership.com/" target="_self">Michael Terrell</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismccanna1" target="_self">Chris McCanna</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jimena-galfaso-md/9/b44/a16" target="_self">Jimena Galfaso</a>, <a href="https://stanfordwho.stanford.edu/SWApp/detailAction.do?key=DR894B828" target="_self">Saraswathi Ram Mohan</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnesle" target="_self">Agnes Le</a>.</p>
<p>Thanks also to my colleagues on the Stanford faculty and coaching staff: <a href="http://acorn-od.com/company.html" target="_self">Andrea Corney</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/carole-robin" target="_self">Carole Robin</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=47536147" target="_self">Chris McCanna</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/collins-dobbs/0/231/749" target="_self">Collins Dobbs</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/gary-dexter" target="_self">Gary Dexter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/hugh-keelan/0/b/7a8" target="_self">Hugh Keelan</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-cronkite/0/6a1/539" target="_self">John Cronkite</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/larissa-tiedens" target="_self">Lara Tiedens</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/richard-p-francisco" target="_self">Richard Francisco</a>, <a href="http://www.rickifrankel.com/" target="_self">Ricki Frankel</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/scott-bristol" target="_self">Scott Bristol</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/yifat-sharabi-levine/4/a6b/b1" target="_self">Yifat Sharabi-Levine</a>.</p>
<p>I'm indebted to <a href="http://www.davidrock.net/about/" target="_self">David Rock</a>, whose <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2010/03/scarf.html" target="_self">SCARF model</a> has had a significant influence on my approach work.</p>
<p>As always, thanks to my coach, mentor, and fairy godmother <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mary-ann-huckabay/11/810/518" target="_self">Mary Ann Huckabay</a>.</p></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=YipC_4VeEPA:3JHfxMnMx0s:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=YipC_4VeEPA:3JHfxMnMx0s:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=YipC_4VeEPA:3JHfxMnMx0s:nQ_hWtDbxek"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=nQ_hWtDbxek" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=YipC_4VeEPA:3JHfxMnMx0s:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=YipC_4VeEPA:3JHfxMnMx0s:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a>
</div>HBR Webinar: Making Feedback Less Stressfultag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341e62fd53ef01bb07f7ce32970d2015-02-24T21:25:26-08:002015-02-24T21:27:10-08:00HBR has invited me to do a 1-hour webinar on Making Feedback Less Stressful, and it's scheduled for this Thursday, February 26, 9am Pacific / Noon Eastern. Registration is free. I'll be talking about emotion (and emotion management), social threat,...edbatista<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a href="http://online.krm.com/iebms/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?oc=10&amp;cc=0011408&amp;eventid=22288"><img alt="Making Feedback Less Stressful" src="http://www.edbatista.com/images/2015/HBR-Webinar-Making-Feedback-Less-Stressful.jpg" title="Making Feedback Less Stressful"></img></a></p>
<p>HBR has invited me to do a 1-hour webinar on <em>Making Feedback Less Stressful</em>, and it's scheduled for this Thursday, February 26, 9am Pacific / Noon Eastern. <a href="http://online.krm.com/iebms/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?oc=10&amp;cc=0011408&amp;eventid=22288" target="_self">Registration is free</a>.<br><br>I'll be talking about emotion (and emotion management), social threat, the SCARF model and the Net, as well as building a feedback-rich culture.</p>
<p>Much of what I've learned about feedback has come through my experience with Stanford's <em>Interpersonal Dynamics</em> course (more commonly known as <em>Touchy Feely</em>), which I've written about <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2013/11/what-i-learned-in-touchy-feely-this-time.html" target="_self">many</a>, <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2012/07/management-as-a-liberal-art-at-stanford.html" target="_self">many</a>, <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2007/02/tgroups_trust_a.html" target="_self">many</a> <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2011/09/t-groups-feelings-management-theory.html" target="_self">times</a>. I first took<em> Touchy Feely </em>in 1999 as an MBA student, and I've been facilitating groups in the course regularly since 2007. (I've spent over 1,200 hours in these groups over the last 8 years.)</p>
<p>I'll also be drawing upon my experience as an executive coach working primarily with startup CEOs and exec teams here in San Francisco.</p>
<p>The feedback I received in <em>Touchy Feely</em> more than 15 years ago has had a significant impact on my life and career since then, and I'm grateful to have been asked to share my perspective on this topic. I hope you can join us.</p>
<hr></hr>
<p>Many thanks to my <em>Interpersonal Dynamics </em>co-facilitators over the years: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinscholzgrace" target="_self">Karin Scholz Grace</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=16143676" target="_self">Sue Neville</a>, <a href="http://zoedunning.com/" target="_self">Zoe Dunning</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/inbal-demri-shaham/3/156/7a9" target="_self">Inbal Demri Shaham</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/chevalisa-bruzzone-lmft/11/b7/245" target="_self">Chevalisa Bruzzone</a>, <a href="http://lisakaysolomon.com/" target="_self">Lisa Kay Solomon</a>, <a href="http://www.organisationen-beraten.net/zvacek/" target="_self">Liselotte Zvacek</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/erica-peng/a/a9b/729" target="_self">Erica Peng</a>, <a href="http://www.terrellleadership.com/" target="_self">Michael Terrell</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismccanna1" target="_self">Chris McCanna</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jimena-galfaso-md/9/b44/a16" target="_self">Jimena Galfaso</a>, <a href="https://stanfordwho.stanford.edu/SWApp/detailAction.do?key=DR894B828" target="_self">Saraswathi Ram Mohan</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnesle" target="_self">Agnes Le</a>.</p>
<p>Thanks also to my colleagues on the Stanford faculty and coaching staff: <a href="http://acorn-od.com/company.html" target="_self">Andrea Corney</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/carole-robin" target="_self">Carole Robin</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=47536147" target="_self">Chris McCanna</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/collins-dobbs/0/231/749" target="_self">Collins Dobbs</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/gary-dexter" target="_self">Gary Dexter</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/hugh-keelan/0/b/7a8" target="_self">Hugh Keelan</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-cronkite/0/6a1/539" target="_self">John Cronkite</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/larissa-tiedens" target="_self">Lara Tiedens</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/richard-p-francisco" target="_self">Richard Francisco</a>, <a href="http://www.rickifrankel.com/" target="_self">Ricki Frankel</a>, <a href="http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/scott-bristol" target="_self">Scott Bristol</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/yifat-sharabi-levine/4/a6b/b1" target="_self">Yifat Sharabi-Levine</a>.</p>
<p>I'm indebted to <a href="http://www.davidrock.net/about/" target="_self">David Rock</a>, whose <a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2010/03/scarf.html" target="_self">SCARF model</a> has had a significant influence on my approach work.</p>
<p>As always, thanks to my coach, mentor, and fairy godmother <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mary-ann-huckabay/11/810/518" target="_self">Mary Ann Huckabay</a>.</p></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=ba9A77KBA10:lv58RRWwh5w:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=ba9A77KBA10:lv58RRWwh5w:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=ba9A77KBA10:lv58RRWwh5w:nQ_hWtDbxek"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=nQ_hWtDbxek" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=ba9A77KBA10:lv58RRWwh5w:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=ba9A77KBA10:lv58RRWwh5w:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a>
</div>New Post at HBR: How Great Coaches Ask, Listen, and Empathizetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341e62fd53ef01b7c7509680970b2015-02-19T23:32:41-08:002015-03-02T08:29:37-08:00Historically, leaders achieved their position by virtue of experience on the job and in-depth knowledge. They were expected to have answers and to readily provide them when employees were unsure about what to do or how to do it. The...edbatista<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a href="https://hbr.org/2015/02/how-great-coaches-ask-listen-and-empathize" target="_self"><img alt="How Great Coaches Ask, Listen, and Empathize" src="http://www.edbatista.com/images/2015/HBR-Ask-Listen-Empathize.jpg" title="How Great Coaches Ask, Listen, and Empathize"></img></a></p>
<p>Historically, leaders achieved their position by virtue of experience on the job and in-depth knowledge. They were expected to <em>have answers </em>and to readily provide them when employees were unsure about what to do or how to do it. The leader was the person who <em>knew the most</em>, and that was the basis of their authority.</p>
<p>Leaders today still have to understand their business thoroughly, but it’s unrealistic and ill-advised to expect them to have <em>all</em> the answers. Organizations are simply too complex for leaders to govern on that basis. One way for leaders to adjust to this shift is to adopt a new role: that of coach. By using coaching methods and techniques in the right situations, leaders can still be effective without knowing all the answers and without telling employees what to do.</p>
<p>Coaching is about connecting with people, inspiring them to do their best, and helping them to grow. It’s also about challenging people to come up with the answers they require on their own. Coaching is far from an exact science, and all leaders have to develop their own style, but we can break down the process into practices that any manager will need to explore and understand. Here are the three most important:</p>
<p><strong>Ask</strong></p>
<p>Coaching begins by creating space to be filled by the employee, and typically you start this process by asking an open-ended question. After some initial small talk with my clients and students, I usually signal the beginning of our coaching conversation by asking, “So, where would you like to start?” The key is to establish receptivity to whatever the other person needs to discuss, and to avoid presumptions that unnecessarily limit the conversation. As a manager you may well want to set some limits to the conversation (“I’m not prepared to talk about the budget today.”) or at least ensure that the agenda reflects your needs (“I’d like to discuss last week’s meeting, in addition to what’s on your list.”), but it’s important to do only as much of this as necessary and to leave room for your employee to raise concerns and issues that are important to them. It’s all too easy for leaders to inadvertantly send signals that prevent employees from raising issues, so make it clear that their agenda matters.</p>
<p>In his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Helping-Offer-Give-Receive-Help/dp/1605098566"><em>Helping</em></a>, former MIT professor Edgar Schein identifies different modes of inquiry that we employ when we’re offering help, and they map particularly well to coaching conversations. The initial process of information gathering I described above is what Schein calls “pure inquiry.” The next step is “diagnostic inquiry,” which consists of focusing the other person’s attention on specific aspects of their story, such as feelings and reactions, underlying causes or motives, or actions taken or contemplated. (“You seem frustrated with Chris. How’s that relationship going?” or “It sounds like there’s been some tension on your team. What do you think is happening?” or “That’s an ambitious goal for that project. How are you planning to get there?”)</p>
<p>The next step in the process is what Schein somewhat confusingly calls “confrontational inquiry”. He doesn’t mean that we literally confront the person, but, rather, that we challenge aspects of their story by introducing new ideas and hypotheses, substituting our understanding of the situation for the other person’s. (“You’ve been talking about Chris’s shortcomings. How might you be contributing to the problem?” or “I understand that your team’s been under a lot of stress. How has turnover affected their ability to collaborate?” or “That’s an exciting plan, but it has a lot of moving parts. What happens if you’re behind schedule?”)</p>
<p>In coaching conversations it’s crucial to spend as much time as needed in the initial stages and resist the urge to jump ahead, where the process shifts from asking open-ended questions to using your authority as a leader to spotlight certain issues. The more time you can spend in pure inquiry, the more likely the conversation will challenge your employee to come up with their own creative solutions, surfacing the unique knowledge that they’ve gained from their proximity to the problem.</p>
<p><strong>Listen</strong></p>
<p>It’s important to understand the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a cognitive process that happens internally — we absorb sound, interpret it, and understand it. But listening is a whole-body process that happens between two people that makes the other person truly feel heard.</p>
<p>Listening in a coaching context requires significant eye contact, not to the point of awkwardness, but more than you typically devote in a casual conversation. This ensures that you capture as much data about the other person as possible — facial expressions, gestures, tics — and conveys a strong sense of interest and engagement.</p>
<div> </div>
<p>Effective listening also requires our focused attention. Coaching is fundamentally incompatible with multitasking, because while you may be able to <em>hear</em> what another person is saying while working on something else, it’s impossible to <em>listen</em> in a way that makes the other person feel heard. It’s critical to eliminate distractions. Turn off your phone, close your laptop, and find a dedicated space where you won’t be interrupted.</p>
<p>Coaching conversations can take place over the phone, of course, and in that medium it’s even more important to refrain from multitasking so that in the absence of visual data, you can pick up on subtle cues in someone’s speech.</p>
<p>In my experience taking brief, sporadic notes in a coaching conversation helps me to stay focused and lessens the burden of maintaining information in my working memory (which holds just five to seven items for most people.) But note-taking itself can become a distraction, causing you to worry more about accurately capturing the other person’s comments than about truly listening. Coaching conversations aren’t depositions, so don’t play stenographer. If you feel the need to take notes, try writing one word or phrase at a time, just enough to jog your memory later.</p>
<p><strong>Empathize</strong></p>
<p>Empathy is the ability not only to comprehend another person’s point of view, but also to vicariously experience their emotions. Without empathy other people remain alien and opaque to us. When present it establishes the interpersonal connection that makes coaching possible.</p>
<p>A key to the importance of empathy can be found in the work of Brené Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston whose work focuses on the topics of vulnerability, courage, worthiness and shame. Brown <a href="http://mariashriver.com/blog/2012/04/shame-empathy-and-wholehearted-journey" target="_blank">defines shame</a> as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” Empathy, Brown notes, is “<a href="http://startempathy.org/blog/2012/10/ready-vulnerability-hangover-five-ideas-bren%C3%A9-brown" target="_blank">the antidote to shame</a>.” When employees need your help they are likely experiencing some form of shame, even if it’s just mild embarrassment — and the more serious the problem, the deeper the shame. Feeling and expressing empathy is critical to helping the other person defuse their embarrassment and begin thinking creatively about solutions.</p>
<p>But note that our habitual expressions of empathy can sometimes be counterproductive. Michael Sahota, a coach in Toronto who works with groups of software developers and product managers, <a href="http://agilitrix.com/2013/01/how-to-express-empathy-avoid-the-traps/">explains some of the traps we fall into when trying to express empathy</a>: We compare our issues to theirs (“My problem’s bigger.”), try to be overly positive (“Look on the bright side.”), or leap to problem-solving while ignoring what they’re feeling in the moment.</p>
<p>Finally, be aware that expressing empathy need not prevent you from holding people to high standards. You may fear that empathizing is equivalent to excusing poor performance but this is a false dichotomy. Empathizing with the difficulties your employees face is an important step in the process of helping them build resilience and learn from setbacks. After you’ve acknowledged an employee’s struggles and feelings, they’re more likely to respond to your efforts to motivate improved performance.</p>
<p>When you coach as a leader you don’t need to be the expert. You don’t need to be the smartest or most experienced person in the room. And you don’t need to have all the solutions. But you do need to be able to connect with people, to inspire them to do their best, and to help them search inside and discover their own answers.</p>
<hr></hr>
<p><em>This post originally appeared at <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/02/how-great-coaches-ask-listen-and-empathize" target="_self">HBR.org</a>. Photo courtesy of HBR.<br></em></p></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=4La-F2KvC_0:wvTGRZ6BjpQ:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=4La-F2KvC_0:wvTGRZ6BjpQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=4La-F2KvC_0:wvTGRZ6BjpQ:nQ_hWtDbxek"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=nQ_hWtDbxek" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=4La-F2KvC_0:wvTGRZ6BjpQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=4La-F2KvC_0:wvTGRZ6BjpQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a>
</div>Early Stage Survival and Later Stage Successtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341e62fd53ef01b8d0d83a33970c2015-02-17T11:32:37-08:002015-02-17T11:41:43-08:00A recent conversation with a client helped to crystallize a dynamic that I see regularly, both with my MBA students at Stanford and with most of the clients in my coaching practice. Think of all the possible claims on our...edbatista
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>A recent conversation with a client helped to crystallize a dynamic that I see regularly, both with my MBA students at Stanford and with most of the clients in my coaching practice.</p>
<p>Think of all the possible claims on our attention--work to be done, messages to be sent, events to attend, and all sorts of people who want some of our time. Now stack-rank each of these claims in order of their importance. This results in the (highly abstracted) graphs below.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://www.edbatista.com/images/2015/Attention-Importance-1.jpg" alt="Early Stage Survival" title="Early Stage Survival" /></p>
<p>In the early stages of our career, survival requires that we address most of the claims on our attention, because the gradient distinguishing the most important from the least important is relatively shallow. We can delegate a few tasks, but we may not have much help, and we can ignore others, but not that many.</p>
<p>This holds true for leaders of early stage <em>organizations </em>as well. Most of my clients are startup CEOs, and in the first few months (and sometimes years) after launching the company, this is what their world looks like--every task and issue seems important, there aren't many other people to delegate to, and it seems perilous to ignore things. As the leader, they feel responsible for addressing almost every possible claim on their attention.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.edbatista.com/images/2015/Attention-Importance-2.jpg" alt="Later Stage Success" title="Later Stage Success" /></p>
<p>But later in our career, things change. The gradient distinguishing the most important claims on our attention from the least important becomes much steeper. The most important are <em>really </em>important, and everything else matters much less. We're able to delegate more, because we have additional resources, and we're obligated to ignore more, because the number of unsolicited requests skyrockets. The key to later stage success isn't addressing a wide swath of responsibilities, but rather <em>focusing relentlessly</em> on the most important ones.</p>
<p>The same process unfolds for a startup CEO as the company emerges from survival mode. It becomes easier to identify the tasks and issues that truly merit their attention, there are teammates in place to handle work that can be delegated, and it's now perilous <em>not</em>&nbsp;to ignore things, because time and attention are so precious.</p>
<p>The key step is recognizing that this transition is under way and evolving our approach to work accordingly. Sometimes the shift is obvious, such as when we step into our first leadership role or when the scope of our job increases. But often the shift is subtle and easy to miss, particularly for leaders of fast-growing organizations. What works for someone leading half-a-dozen people doesn't work for someone leading 20, and what works at 20 people doesn't work at 200, ad infinitum. But that growth doesn't come with automatic milestones telling the leader to adjust their management style. Leaders must be attuned to shifts in the organization around them and the resulting changes in the claims on their attention.</p>
<p>And note that adjusting our management style to reflect these changes isn't merely a cognitive process, but also an emotional one. As <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-most-productive-people-know-who-to-ignore" target="_self">I've written before</a>, "Actively ignoring things and saying no to people generates a range of emotions that exert a powerful influence on our choices and behavior. This is precisely what makes triage so difficult, and until we acknowledge its emotional dimension, our efforts to control our workflow through primarily intellectual interventions are unlikely to succeed."</p>
<p><em>This is a variation on a theme I discuss frequently:</em></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="https://hbr.org/2013/12/doing-less-leading-more" target="_self"><em>Doing Less, Leading More</em></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2015/02/return-on-attention.html" target="_self"><em>Growth, Profitability, and Return on Attention</em></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="https://hbr.org/2013/11/learning-to-say-no-is-part-of-success" target="_self"><em>Learning to Say "No" is Part of Success</em></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-most-productive-people-know-who-to-ignore" target="_self"><em>The Most Productive People Know Who to Ignore</em></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2013/12/rubbernecking.html" target="_self"><em>Rubbernecking (Stop Wasting Attention)</em></a></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><a href="http://www.edbatista.com/2013/02/spending-attention.html" target="_self"><em>Spending Attention</em></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p></div>
<div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=nC3APHte5H4:fApVkWOn4Ug:I9og5sOYxJI"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=I9og5sOYxJI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=nC3APHte5H4:fApVkWOn4Ug:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=nC3APHte5H4:fApVkWOn4Ug:nQ_hWtDbxek"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=nQ_hWtDbxek" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=nC3APHte5H4:fApVkWOn4Ug:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?a=nC3APHte5H4:fApVkWOn4Ug:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/EdBatista?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a>
</div>